A bill to authorize actions for redress in cases involving deprivations of rights of institutionalized persons secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.

Summary

Authorizes the Attorney General to institute a civil action for or in the name of the United States in an appropriate district court whenever he has reasonable cause to believe that a State or its agents are subjecting persons confined in any correctional facility, juvenile correction center, mental hospital, nursing home, or facility for the chronically ill, retarded, or physically handicapped to conditions which deprive such persons of their Federal constitutional or statutory rights. Permits the Attorney General to intervene in any action of public importance commenced in a Federal court in which relief is sought from conditions allegedly depriving involuntarily confined persons in State institutions of their Federal rights. Directs the Attorney General to promulgate minimum standards for the resolution of grievances of persons involuntarily confined. Prohibits an individual who is involuntarily confined in a State institution from bringing a district court action under 42 U.S.C. 1983 unless State administrative remedies which are in accordance with such standards have been exhausted.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 3 May 1978

   Introduced

   Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 3 May 1978

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 3 May 1978

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

1 official file

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 3 May 1978

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Rep. Kastenmeier, Robert W. [D-WI-2] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Dornan, Robert K. [R-CA-46] · R · Cosponsor
• · hsju00 · Standing

Related records

• related to → A bill to authorize actions for redress in cases involving deprivations of rights of institutionalized persons secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.